Five characters who marked Quebec in 2023

The news is also the decisions and actions of leaders who play a determining role. Here are five that clearly stood out in 2023.

Tiff Macklem

Usually, ordinary people do not know the governor of the Bank of Canada. But the fight against inflation led the Bank of Canada to suddenly raise interest rates. Governor Macklem’s Wednesday morning announcements have become a real threat to many mortgage holders.

The biggest increase took place in 2022, but the few additional points this year will have hurt particularly badly. Did the Bank exaggerate and create more serious damage to the economy? We will find out in the coming months. In 2024, Mr. Macklem should bring better news.

Paul St-Pierre Plamondon

The leader of the PQ simply dominated the political scene. In the 2022 election, he had resurrected the PQ, it was already an achievement. However, in 2023, he put the PQ back on the road to victory. Winning a partial and Quebec and finishing the year first in public opinion, no one could have imagined these possible exploits 12 months ago.

Paul St-Pierre Plamondon imposed a style, he demonstrated strong personal qualities and he demonstrated competence. Starting from the top, 2024 could be quite a sporty year for him.

Michael Sabia

Unforeseen in political life: the prestigious position of president of Hydro-Québec became available during the year. François Legault made one of his rare masterstrokes of 2023 by convincing the former president of the Caisse de dépôt to leave his post as Deputy Minister of Finance of Canada.

By becoming head of Hydro, Mr. Sabia became one of the most influential people in Quebec. With the energy transition, the moment is crucial, the future investments are colossal. Network reliability, customer service, increase in production capacity, the workaholic Sabia took little time to launch his action plan.

Melanie Hubert

The president of the FAE forced the game by launching an unlimited general strike on November 23. Has the FAE, the smaller of the two teachers’ unions, adopted the right strategy or not? This judgment will be made in the coming weeks. The cost has been enormous for its members without income. But the shock on society resounded.

It provoked the longest teachers’ strike in the history of Quebec, a strike that compromised the school year of thousands of children… without losing the support of parents.

Bruno Marchand

The mayor of Quebec has taken an important place in the municipal community. He notably played a key role in mobilizing around the problem of homelessness. He did not hesitate to publicly confront government ministers, even if it meant paying the price.

Things are complicated in his city. He became a star as an advocate of the streetcar, but the majority of his own population didn’t want it. Moreover, the Legault government tore her baby from her arms. A character to watch in 2024.